


Watering our future

by Az_1488



Series: Watering our future [1]
Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Post-good ending, Slow Burn, Sunflower, long series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29566011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Az_1488/pseuds/Az_1488
Summary: A slow post-ending sunflower story following Sunny's confession to the gang and his struggles to mend his relationship with Basil in the following years. Yeah I know this isn't exactly a new idea, but the main focus isn't about the gang forgiving them or not, but Sunny and Basil having to live their lives without depending on one another until the time they meet again. It's gonna be slow, there will be fluff, there will be angst, and there will be comfort.
Relationships: Basil & Sunny (OMORI), Basil/Sunny (OMORI)
Series: Watering our future [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2172192
Comments: 22
Kudos: 112





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny tells the truth to the gang and comforts Basil, lots of feels ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is my very first fic being uploaded to AO3, so I'm expecting to improve from this point forward with the following chapters. Also, this prologue is accompanied by a lot of my own drawings, but don't expect the rest of the chapters to have as many, or if any at all.

Sunny wakes up, a cold sweat caresses his skin, he feels a sting from his right eye, a set of bandages had completely covered it, and his entire body felt in awful conditions. The room was bright and white, he couldn’t recognize it, but it didn’t matter to him right now, as memories flashed back inside him, the last thing he could remember was his older sister’s embrace, she was smiling at him. It was a soothing smile, it wasn’t tormenting or burdening, but genuine.

With this, Sunny’s emotions bloomed in a blink, and the tears wouldn’t stop falling, it was… relieving, and he didn’t hold back either, letting tears coat his skin until no more would leak out.

His conscience felt light, and he finally let go of the guilt consuming him, “It’s over…” he thought in a glimpse, but then he snapped back to reality. Basil, there was still something he needed to do for both of their sake, and without hesitation, he stood up, there was no time to lay down right now.

Although the weight of his actions were much lighter, his own body was in pain, but Sunny didn’t mind. This is the least he deserved, he thought, he accepted his fate the moment he opened the door to Basil’s room last night.

The corridor was quiet, as if no other soul mattered to Sunny right now but the ones behind that other room. He gulped down one last time and gathered the strength to turn over the door handle. They were all there, surrounding the blond boy, peacefully sleeping on the hospital bed, but it didn’t take long for them to notice the unexpected visitor. “Sunny? What’re you doing here? You should be resting right now!” said a worried Kel, though it’s not like Hero and Aubrey weren’t thinking the same thing themselves.

“I have to tell you something” was all Sunny muttered. As strange as it was, they weren’t used to Sunny speaking his mind in such a reassured manner, they thought… if Sunny is talking on his own, then it must be something really important, right? They didn’t utter a word, as they patiently waited for Sunny to continue what he had to say.

“...I… I killed… her…”, was all he could muster, at first it sounded like it would’ve been easy, but as each word left his mouth, his breathing grew more and more unsteady, and he already felt on the verge of tears… but this wasn’t the time yet, just a little more....

“...Sunny…”, said Aubrey, unable to move an inch from where they stood, they didn’t need to ask what he meant to realize who he was talking about, but it still didn’t make sense to them.

“I… pushed her off the stairs… I… I didn’t want her to…”, he couldn’t look at them in the eyes, as he faced down at the floor, he could see his own tears fall directly against it.

“But… she was hung there, we all saw it… Sunny, what happened?”, Hero finally spoke, who was the most concerned over Sunny’s emotional state over this ‘confession’.

“We… Me and Basil hanged her, we didn’t think anyone would believe that it was an accident… Basil… Basil just wanted to protect me…”

What followed was an awkward silence, none of them knew what else to say at this point, Sunny didn’t know what to expect either, but whatever came next, he had already accepted his fate, whatever they were going to do, he’d take it.

Hero didn’t say a word, instead, he looked at the blond boy in bruises, and the one standing in front of them, then… he was the first to approach Sunny, he stopped right in front of him, he waited until Sunny looked at him in the eyes. Sunny finally looked up, expecting the worst, but instead, he just met with another pair of teary eyes, a faint smile on Hero’s face as he felt his arms pulling him into a tight embrace.

“...Thank you, Sunny, I know this must’ve been really hard for you to tell us... I finally understand now… why you and Basil were so affected by this all these years.”. Sunny didn’t fully comprehend why, why were they forgiving him so easily? this couldn’t have been that simple, he thought...

Soon enough, Kel and Aubrey joined in the hug, as they let their tears fall in unison, they didn’t question Sunny’s confession, his emotions spoke for themselves, this was as genuine as he could’ve ever been.

* * *

But this wasn’t it, yet, there was still one more person he needed to face, the one person that he hurt the most in all these years…

Sunny was alone in Basil’s hospital room now, Kel, Hero and Aubrey took their leave to let the bruised boy have a moment with his best friend. He stared at him, unable to force the boy to wake up, instead, he waited, he waited until the moment he opened his eyes on his own.  
Basil gazed at Sunny, and he gazed at him back, Sunny smiled, a small, genuine smile ran across his face, this was the first time Basil had seen him smile since the last four years, it was… sincere, and that smile alone was enough for him to understand his feelings, he too, couldn’t help but smile back.

  
Despite this, he was intrigued by Sunny’s presence here, and was about to question the boy.

  
“...S-Sunny? W-”

  
Basil was in shock for a moment, in a short glimpse, Sunny had just pulled himself closer and…

  
Basil felt his heart beating out of his chest, Sunny could feel it too, even if his body wasn’t reacting, he could feel just how much this was affecting him.

“I’m sorry… I’ve been such a horrible friend… I… I should’ve been there for you more… I’m so sorry…”, Sunny muttered, the words resounded inside Basil like an echoing abyss.

  
“Sunny…”  
Finally, his emotions had set loose, Sunny’s too… they needed this, now more than ever.

  
“Sunny… I don’t want you to go… please don’t leave me…”  
The realization hit Basil that this was a departure hug, and he didn’t want it to ever end.

  
“I’ll… keep contact with you, I promise, I won’t abandon you again Basil.”  
For the first time, Sunny had spoken more words in a single day than he had throughout his years of solitude. It was as if the knot in his throat had been removed, and it was overwhelming for the both of them. So many repressed emotions were brimming out of his heart all at once, and so were Basil’s.

  
“...Do you promise?”

  
“Yes… it’s a promise.”

And just like that, Sunny’s burdens had dissipated, now the only reminder in his head was that he’d have his friends in his thoughts from now on, for he didn’t wish to break his promise, they were his only support to carry on after all.

* * *

Sunny’s Mom arrived at the hospital the morning after the incident, and she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see her only son in bed with a quarter of his face covered in bandages. She knew that he had spent the last few days with Kel and his friends, so this surely had something to do with them. But Sunny didn’t intend to go into details, simply shrugging it off as an accident, his mom questioned whether it was a good idea to have him see his old friends after all.

“N-No! This has nothing to do with them! It’s not their fault that I ended... like this... so please… don’t blame them for what happened...”, His mom let out a sigh, feeling defeated as she thought there wasn’t anything else she could get out of her son. She wanted them to take their leave as soon as possible, but Sunny needed to remain in the hospital for a bit more until his next bandages replacement, so she agreed to come back and pick him up at a later time.

His eye hurt, but the doctors said it should recover over time, as most of the damage was in the eyelid and surrounding tissue. But it’s possible that he may need corrective lenses in the future to compensate for his eye-sight.

For the remainder of his stay in the hospital, Sunny had spent most of it in Basil’s room, almost feeling obligated to, except for the times when the nurses had to drag him back to his bed. Basil didn’t mind, but at the same time, he was surprised by Sunny’s sudden interest in mending things up with him. He was likely just not used to seeing him worried for him like this after so long.

Kel, Hero and Aubrey kept visiting them of course, sometimes bringing in a new face or two that Sunny had befriended during the last three days in Faraway Town. Basil had no idea that Sunny had made some new friends in the short time he left his house, but he was happy nonetheless.

“...Basil?”, muttered Sunny, sitting aside Basil’s bed as he reminisced in his own thoughts. “...S-Sorry about… forcing myself on you yesterday, that was… uhm…”, he wasn’t sure where he was getting at, but he realized just how emotional yesterday’s hug was, that it made him a little self-aware. “Basil? W-Wait, don’t move! You shouldn’t be getting up just yet what’re you-!”, Basil had pulled Sunny into a hug this time, only now his breathing was steady, he was hugging him because he wanted to.

“...It’s not fair that you’re the only one giving hugs Sunny, haha…”, Basil let out a faint chuckle, he was trying his hardest to hold down the tears, and he didn’t want to ruin this moment either. “I just… haven’t had the chance to thank you yet, Sunny, for… this… When I heard that you were moving away, I felt my stomach sink and I thought that I’d lose you again, I was so afraid to… be all alone… and that I couldn’t do anything to protect you… but instead… I was the one being saved… thank you Sunny…”. Sunny felt the blonde grip his back, feeling his soft beating against his own, it felt nice.

Sunny returned the hug, accepting his best friend’s feelings, he could almost get used to this much affection lately.

“But now… I’m not afraid anymore, I know that even if you move away, we’ll always have each other in our thoughts, right? I know that this isn’t a goodbye, but a farewell, and I’m sure that… Kel, Aubrey and Hero will also be there for me too, so… please try your hardest too to move forward, just like I will… okay?”

“...Yeah, I will too”, Sunny replied calmly.

* * *

The car drive felt infinite, as Sunny’s thoughts drifted towards the events of the last few days, putting more emphasis on his real life occurrences rather than his colorful adventures of the head-space he created.

The change of scenery was both scary and relieving for him, recollecting his soothing memories with his friends, the ones that he had to separate from once more after finally reuniting.

  
Yet strangely, he felt ever closer to them now, more than he ever did in the last four years when he only lived a few blocks apart. Yes, it wasn’t a goodbye like Basil said, they just had to learn to live on their own for a while, as difficult as it may seem.

  
Sunny’s cheeks itched as he remembered his last moments with Basil, one doesn’t realize how embarrassing things can be until after they pass. He wondered whether he was exaggerating for feeling like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I just want to emphasize, this story is meant to explore the relationship between Sunny and Basil more in-depth, rather than focus on the aspect of forgiveness by the gang, since I wanted to take it for granted that he's forgiven right on the spot, which is why I settled that up already in this prologue. The next chapters will be more focused on their struggles and their own new problems at home.
> 
> A big thank you to talon6142 and AVeryChillDoctor for their support, I'm only writing a fic because I want more sunflower shippers happy <3


	2. Blighted Soil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil is discharged from the hospital and prepares for his grandma's funeral, he struggles being all on his own now though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering writing each chapter going back and forth between Sunny and Basil's point of view... It seems like an interesting dynamic so far so we'll see how well that translates over.

Polly arrived at Basil’s hospital room, carefully making her way in in case Basil had been asleep, fortunately that wasn’t the case. Basil’s awake, he notices Polly in the distance, and raises an arm in response. “Oh, Basil… I spoke with the nurses, it seems you’re ready to be discharged soon.”.

Basil didn’t comment at first, he looked… distracted, only giving a very monotone “...Yeah”. Polly held out a sigh, realizing that his attitude hasn’t improved much just yet, she presumed.

“...So… let me know when you’re ready to go, then I’ll drive you back home, alright?”.

“...Yeah, okay.”

The room didn’t leave much space for imagination, it would’ve been nice if there were any windows, Basil thought. Instead, he stared at the potted tulip on the dresser table next to him, its delicate leaves, its bulbous yet simple shape… just like…

The sun was almost setting when they finally went back home, Basil fidgeted a little remembering the last thing he did in his house. The car drive was uncomfortably quiet, as Polly knew Basil wasn’t one for talking, especially with her, she wished he would, though.

Suddenly, she remembered something very important that she needed to say, and her voice broke the silence. “Oh… right, I almost forgot, I informed your parents about what happened, they said they’ll make it back here for your grandmother’s funeral.”, Basil gasped a little, his parents are coming? That felt a little sudden for him, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to look at them in the state he was…

“...Uhm… how long did they say they’re staying again?”, asked Basil worryingly, at least he was making conversation this time, that’s an improvement!

“Well… I wouldn’t expect them to stay for more than a few days, knowing them, they probably had to excuse themselves only because they’re grieving.”. She was probably right, his parents were absent for most of his life, constantly taking long business trips and leaving Basil at Polly and his grandmother’s care. Sometimes it was hard to even see them as parents to him.

“...But hey, maybe they’ll take some time off now that they’re here, right?”, Polly tried to cheer him up, unbeknownst to her that he wasn’t worried about them _not_ staying long.

Soon enough, they made it to familiar roads, and they could outline their neighborhood already. Basil didn’t make any more comments along the way though, he had enough in his head to keep him busy.

When Polly’s car made it to their block, she couldn’t help but notice the figure of some people waiting by their door. It was undoubtedly Kel, Hero and Aubrey, who were waiting for Basil’s return.

“Basil, look! Your friends are here!”, said Polly excitedly, hoping that it’d lift his spirit if only a little. Basil turned around, inspecting the window, she was right, they were all there. This felt a little unexpected for Basil, feeling his anxiety build up, he wasn’t even sure why, either.

“Basil!”, shouted Kel, helping them on the way out of the car, Hero and Aubrey followed. 

“Sorry, I hope you guys weren’t waiting here for too long.”, commented Polly. “It’s fine, it’s the least we could do, right Basil?” said Aubrey, glancing at the blond boy.

“Y-You guys…”, muttered Basil, clueless on how to react.

”It’s okay, Basil, we’re here for you, we’re your friends, alright?”, reaffirmed Hero, putting a hand on Basil’s shoulder contently.

“Come on, let’s make dinner!”, proposed Polly, the three of them gave a synchronized “Yeahh!!”

“Y-Yeah…”.

Kel helped around the kitchen, while Aubrey prepared the table, Hero kept Basil company as he figured he wasn’t in the mood to cook himself.

Hero: “...Your wounds are better, I hope?”

Basil: “Ah… y-yeah, I can walk on my own, haha, don’t worry.”

Hero: “...”

Basil: “...”

Hero: “...Sunny told us what happened that day… with Mari.”

Basil: “H-Huh…!?”

Hero: “He told us that… you were only trying to protect him.”

Basil: “...H-He said that?”

Hero: “Yeah.”

Basil: “...”

Hero: “It’s okay, we understand, Basil… we don’t hold anything against you or Sunny… I’m sure that… this is what Mari would’ve wanted too…”

Basil: “...”

Hero: “So… you don’t have to keep carrying that burden with you anymore, alright? I’m sure that… Sunny wants that too.”

Basil kept quiet, he knew Hero was right, but it didn’t help much to relieve the weight of his actions. “...All this time, I tried to deny to myself that Sunny would’ve done that… I wanted to believe that… Something else did it, and without realizing, all I did was hurt Sunny even more… and yet… he still goes this far…”

“...You were just kids, and you just did what you thought was best for Sunny… who can blame you for that?”, Hero could only watch the sorrow in Basil’s eyes, it made sense that he still had difficulty accepting his own faults. To him, he thought as if he failed Sunny as a friend, and that he didn’t deserve forgiveness, despite everyone telling him otherwise.

“Basil, listen, no matter what, we’ll be friends, okay? You, Me, Kel, Aubrey, Sunny… We’ve been through so much together, and nothing’s going to tear us apart anymore. You looked so much happier back in the hospital… you miss him already, don’t you?”

Basil looked at Hero, his lips felt dry at the realization... he missed Sunny...

“...I know it’s going to be hard, but… I’m sure it won’t be the last time that you see each other, so… try to chin up until that time… alright?”

“...Yeah… I… I’ll try…”

“Dinner’s ready!” shouted Kel, cheerfully readying up the food on the table as he proudly displayed it.

* * *

Everyone had a good time dining together, Hero, Kel and Aubrey thanked them for the food before taking their leave, as Polly prepared to clean the dishes. Basil headed towards the bedrooms, he opened his grandma’s… empty, he opened his room… he looked at the floor… nothing. The last time he was here… was possibly one of the worst nights he’s ever had… now that memory’s haunting his room, crawling around the corners. Basil removed his shoes, and sat over his bed, hugging his legs together, he felt confined… alone… more than he could possibly ever feel.

He didn’t want to see his parents either, there was enough awkwardness in his life for him to have to bear them seeing him in this state, and he also couldn’t skip time either until the day that…

He heard a knock on his door, it was undoubtedly Polly, he didn’t answer. Polly felt bold enough to open the door anyways, he didn’t protest. Polly approached him and sat beside him, if Basil didn’t want to see her, he would’ve locked the door like the other night, she thought. “Basil… what’re you thinking about?”, inquired Polly.

“...Nothing…” Basil muttered.

“...You must miss her a lot, don’t you? Your grandma.”

He did, but he’s been missing her ever since she became ill… it was as if she wasn’t there anymore by then. He didn’t respond, almost hinting that that wasn’t it.

“...It’s about your parents… isn’t it?”

“...Yeah…”

“...I’ll probably continue to be your caretaker for the time being, but… if for some reason your parents dismiss me… you’re welcome at my house if you need someone to talk to, alright?”

Basil didn’t say anything, it’s not that he disliked the idea, but at the same time, he didn’t know what he wanted either. Polly pulled him into an embrace, feeling that the gloomy blonde needed it. Slowly but surely, Basil reached his arms around her too. Trying his hardest not to cry in front of her, the most he could muster was a tear streaming down his face. He felt pathetic, always needing others to worry about him, he wished he didn’t… he disliked being a burden to everyone.

Polly pulled away from the hug, then wished Basil good night, before taking her leave.

The following days were a routine of either Kel or Aubrey coming over and making Basil company. Hero tagged along whenever his mom didn’t shackle him over the house, as he did promise to spend more time with her now that he’s here.

Eventually, Basil remembered to inform them about his parents’ arrival, and the preparations for his grandmother’s funeral.

“Wait… you HAVE parents?” questioned Kel obliviously, Aubrey smacked him on the head for that commentary.

“Of course he does, dumbass, they’re just… uhm… what do your parents do again?”

“Ah… I’m not entirely sure myself, they say they’re on business trips all the time, so… I hardly ever see them…”, Basil replied.

“...W-Well… I’m sure they must have their reasons, right? Maybe they work too hard to have enough time to come here... “, bargained Kel.

“Y-Yeah… that must be it, right?”, replied Aubrey.

“...Do you guys want to meet them when they’re here?”, wondered Basil.

“You kidding? We’d love to! I’m sure they’re great people too!” responded Kel, pulling up a wholehearted smile.

“...Yeah, in fact, we should all be present during the funeral too, would that be okay?” inquired Aubrey.

“...Yeah… You guys can come too…”, muttered Basil, not feeling too thrilled about the topic anymore.

* * *

The fateful day arrived, Basil gulped as he saw Polly open the door, as she helped the two figures with their belongings. They were wearing a full suit attire, carrying their own briefcases out of the car. The figures thanked Polly, as she made her way to the dorms, one of them turned their head towards Basil, the other one followed likewise. “Basil?” spoke the first .

“...Hi, dad”, muttered Basil.

“Basil? You look awful! There’s a bruise on your left eye, and you look like you've been run over by a car!”, observed his mom with insight, examining his wounds with one hand.

“Ah… I’m… I’m fine, I just had an accident, don’t worry.”, he reassured them, not wanting to bring up the incident at all.

“Well Basil, without your grandma, you’ll be all on your own from now on. Polly will still come over to cook and clean the house, but unfortunately, we may not have time in our schedules to make a long stay here at least until our next break. So, you’ve got to take better care of yourself.”, said his dad with a resounding voice.

“...Yes, dad… sorry…”.

“Now, you should get changed soon, the funeral will be held in about an hour from now on.”

“...Yes, dad.”

The evening was rather uneventful prior to the event, with Basil’s parents mostly talking between each other, either discussing the funeral preparations or their business trip plans. Basil put on some of his old vestments for the occasion: A white collared shirt with a dark vest on top, a pair of dark slacks and dress shoes. He took out the flower pin on his head, however, as it was too colorful for this type of event, even though his grandma would’ve probably liked him wearing it still.

At the church, Basil met with his friends, and the hooligans… he didn’t recall inviting them? Basil felt a little uneasy of them being here, but at least they were all well dressed. “Plenty of kids here, are these your friends, Basil?”, inquired his dad.

“Ah… y-yeah, I-I said I was gonna invite some but… I wasn’t aware more would come, sorry…”.

“Well it’s fine, they’re properly groomed for the occasion, as long as they behave around, they’re free to join us too.”, concluded his mom.

“That one girl shows quite the extravagant hair color though, I don’t believe that’s a proper etiquette for this place.”, commented his dad.

“...Y-Yeah… s-sorry… I’m… sure she doesn’t mean to disrespect at all…”, pleaded Basil. His dad sighed, and motioned his okay.

Basil looked over at Kel, Aubrey and Hero, Basil shared a gaze with Aubrey as he looked at her in discomfort. Aubrey shook her head as she flailed her hands over, trying to signal an apology.

“S-Sorry… I didn’t tell you, I invited over my friends too, because… well… the truth is…”

“We owe you an apology, Basil.” spoke Kim, walking forward before letting Aubrey finish. “We shouldn’t have treated you the way we did all this time, you... had enough on your back already for us to…”, Kim fidgeted, hoping that someone else would continue where she left off.

“...Y-Yeah… We should’ve known better, I hope you don’t mind us being here, we… wanted to show our respects for your grandma and to show you we were sorry for everything we did before… can… can we, uhm… maybe start over? And maybe be friends?”, continued Vance.

Kel and Hero looked in bewilderment, as Basil let out a faint smile, nodding his head over the hooligans, signaling his approval.

“Wow, Aubrey, that was very mature of you, I’m glad that you and your friends could make peace with Basil finally.”, spoke a proud Hero.

“...Yeah, it’s… the least I could do.”, she simply replied.

As the funeral began, everyone gave their condolences, carrying over a different set of flowers for the deceased. Basil, of course, picked a white egret orchid, and put it neatly in the middle of the set of arranged flowers.

Even though he didn’t like having to do this ceremony, he still wished that Sunny was here, if only to have his best friend over to hold onto his shoulder during this heart-sinking hour.

After everyone left, and the funeral was over, Basil waved goodbye at his friends, but they decided to stay for a little longer. Basil saw Hero approach him, he didn’t really say it, but the mood could tell that in his mind, he was basically signaling “Group hug”. Kel and Aubrey joined in too, and wrapped Basil over with their arms, Basil accepted this.

On the way home, his dad commented on his admiration for the bond between him and his friends. Although judging by his tone, it sounded more like an observation rather than a display of pride.

“...Yeah… they’re good people.”, Basil concluded. “...One couldn’t make it, though.” he unconsciously spouted out.

“How come? Where were they?”, inquired his dad.

“...He just moved out of town last week, so it’s not like he didn’t want to or anything.”, reassured Basil.

“Ah… that’s unfortunate, I’m sure he must’ve wished you his condolences wherever he was regardless.”, concluded his dad.

* * *

It had been about four weeks since Basil left the hospital, things were starting to settle down again. His parents had already left back on their business trip, leaving Basil at the care of Polly. That afternoon, Polly heard a knock on the door, figuring it was either Kel or Aubrey. 

“Oh, a mail?”, she inquired. Basil walked over the door as he heard the knocks too, he could only briefly hear Polly just say that. “Basil? I think this is for you.”, she turned over, extending over her arm towards Basil with the letter on her hand.

Basil stared at the letter for a moment, it couldn’t be, could it? He carefully picked it up, and examined the back, it had an address he didn’t recognize, but it was signed from “Sunny”.

Basil sprinted towards his room with the letter on his hands, not giving Polly any explanations whatsoever, not that she needed any though.

He slowly opened the envelope, a photograph was attached inside.

The letter itself only said “My eye is much better now, and I got new glasses.”, Sunny was a man of few words, but that’s okay.

Basil looked at the photo contently, a warm smile etched across his face. He didn’t think about why he liked this photo so much, given that he’s had plenty of photos of Sunny already in his photo album that he gave to him. But he just did... maybe because this photo was... different somehow… yes, this was made specifically for him, it was a gift for Basil, a gift that he’d treasure over.

Basil took his time, then grabbed a clean paper, and quickly began to scribe, he wanted to respond back to Sunny as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! I'm very happy to receive feedback whenever I finish the drafts so that I can improve my formatting, I'm still getting used to writing fics, after all. The next chapter will be focused on Sunny again, and we'll see what Basil wrote to Sunny on his letter too.


	3. Composting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny begins his new life in his new home, but finds it hard to forget about his old town and his friends... and the conclusion that he may start taking his own decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The drawings are back! Regretfully so for me lmao, this took so long to finish... but I'm happy with the results overall. Still, I apologize for the long wait time since the last chapter, I hope that the following ones will take much shorter to submit in between them.

It’s been about five weeks since Sunny had moved out of Faraway Town. His daily routines have also taken a turn since then, and now that he agreed with his mom to enroll back to school, he has a lot to catch up on. To say that he’s had an active schedule would be an understatement.

It’s especially tough for someone like Sunny too, given his extended life as a recluse, having to socialize again with new faces has been almost overwhelming… It doesn’t help that he’s also a lot older than his peers, but at least no one hardly notices, given his short stature.

At least his mom seems a lot more relieved now, it hasn’t been a day since she hasn’t asked him what he's learnt at school today or how many friends he’s made (although it’s always a let down when he admits not having made any).

Sometimes Sunny thought about home, though, about his friends, and the streets that were so familiar to him… He wondered if his friends thought about him too...

“Sunny, sweetie? I think you got a letter!” His mom’s voice resonated with excitement. Sunny headed towards the door in response. He saw the letter and it immediately clicked on him. He snatched it away from her, not giving her any chance to check its content, then sprinted towards his room.

It was signed from Basil’s address:

> _“Hi, Sunny! I’m glad to hear from you! Your new glasses look good on you! I like them! I hope everything is going well for you. Kel, Hero and Aubrey constantly ask about you too._
> 
> _Thanks for the photo by the way! When you have the chance to pay a visit, be sure to bring my photo album with you! It’d be great to put the photo in together like we used to!_
> 
> _Yours truly ~Basil”_

Sunny felt his cheeks fluster, as this was the first time he’d ever received a letter from someone... it wasn’t unpleasant at all.

“Sunny, sweetie? What’s wrong?” he heard a knock on his door, Sunny let out a yelp. His own embarrassing response confounded him, it’s just a letter from one of his friends after all, right?

With the letter still on his hand, he opened the door. “Is that from one of your friends?” she interrogated with a snooping intent, Sunny nodded in response.

“Aww, that’s sweet, they must miss you a lot too.” she concluded.

“Yeah…” he sighed contently.

“Was it Kel? He always asked about you before we moved out.”.

“Uhm… Kel probably doesn’t know my address yet…” Sunny admitted. But now that he thought about it, he should’ve given him his address too...

“Oh, who is it then?”

“...Basil.”

“Basil? I didn’t know you still talked to him, you two used to be inseparable!”

“...Yeah…”

Sunny thought for a moment, there was something he meant to ask, and it came to him just now.

“...Mom? Would it be okay if I could... visit them again for the winter?” He mustered all his courage to ask, but not nearly enough to look at her as he did.

“Oh… You want to see them that much? Would that be okay?” His mom took a break before continuing.

“...I’m not sure sweetie… Would you be fine going on your own? Where would you even stay over? Have you talked to them about it yet?” As his mom released a barrage of questions at her son, she could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

“Ah… I… haven’t… yet… it was just a thought just now… but… I think I know where I can stay… I’m… sure they would be okay with that...”

“...I don’t know, sweetie… I’m not sure if you’re ready to be on your own like that yet, what if you get lost? You’ve never traveled that far on your own.”

“I’ll be fine! I promise! Please… After this, I’ll probably not be able to visit them anymore, because of my summer classes… I don’t know if I’ll ever have another time like this again.”

He poured his heart out, his intent was clear and pure, for his hopes were pending on a thread.

“... _Sigh_ … alright, I guess I can take you over to the station then, but make sure to talk it out with your friends first. And if you can, give me a call from one of the public telephone stations when you’re there, okay?”

Sunny gazed at her in awe, all he could hear was her alright, everything else had fogged out, it was all he wanted to hear and everything else didn’t matter.

“...Yeah!” he said, nodding his head. He wasn’t good at smiling, but inside, he was brimming with joy. “...T-Thanks.” was all he could muster.

It wasn’t much, but his mom was happy nonetheless that Sunny could find thrill in something, especially if it came from his friends.

Sunny didn’t take long to write away. He picked up a sheet of paper and went straight to the point, hoping that Basil would be okay with his request..

* * *

Unfortunately though, the anticipation would only add up to Sunny’s daydreaming escapades. During class, he’d look up on the window, admiring the green display of neatly adorned trees, the branches dancing with the wind… The leaves gently dropping in chorus, as they marked Fall’s beginning.

He needed to focus though… his mom would never let him go this winter if his grades dropped, his thoughts bringing him back on track.

He looked around, everyone was minding their own business on their own desks. He looked at his own, he hasn’t scribed much yet. He looked at the board, there was a formula he didn’t pay attention to… regret soon unfolded.

He wrote down as much as he could. Despite his glasses supporting his crippled eye, Sunny still wasn’t used to having to rely on them… though he should be lucky he even _had_ both eyes.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Basil to send a response, and of course, Sunny already knew the answer he would get.

It had been a very slow conversation between them, having to rely on letters, but it helped relieve some tension as they continued with their weeks. In fact, it was possibly their favorite time of the week whenever a new mail with a letter would come to them. Basil would be the one doing most of the talk, as usual. Often ranting about mundane things, or just describing his week to Sunny. It wasn’t the same as listening to in person, but it helped nevertheless.

* * *

Sunny found himself in a picturesque scenario. He could see a road way on one side, on the other, a pair of oak benches stood together… groups of children playing… people laughing…

“Sunny?” a voice called his name, he looked around, trying to pinpoint the source. “Sunny, you’re back! I knew you would be…” Basil was standing all alone under a towering tree. Sunny walked towards, Basil doing the same, as he sprinted towards Sunny, he tripped and fell down. Sunny extended a hand for him.

“Come on, the others are waiting.” Sunny motioned.

“Yeah...”. Basil smiled. He held onto Sunny’s hand and stood up, and they both marched forward, not letting go of each other.

“I was waiting for you, and you came back… That means you care about me, right? Hehe” he heard Basil remark softly behind him.

Time felt slow around them, but the scenery remained just as beautiful. A scent of lavender filled his nostrils, walking through the saturated green field.

“Even though… maybe coming back will only impede you from carrying on with your life… sorry, I hope I’m not dragging you down again…”

He didn’t notice when, but he could barely feel the weight of Basil’s body, as if he was freely pulling from him. He turned around, but Basil wasn’t there anymore, a trail of blood followed him, and all he was holding was... Basil’s hand…

“Ah, sorry… I fell down again…” the faint voice resonated in him...

Sunny woke up.

It was dark, his room carried over a quiet, static noise… a dreadful feeling weighed down on his body… how long has it been since he’s had these types of dreams?

Calm Down… Breathe in… Breathe out…

Water… he thought… he quietly let go off his comfortable bed and made his way to the kitchen. He took a look around for Something… nothing. He picked up a clean cup, then filled it to the brim. He gulped it down in one go, letting out a relieving sigh.

He headed over to the bathroom, looking over the mirror for Something… nothing, it’s just Sunny. As he turned over the faucet, he let the cold water wash away his problems. He wondered… has he really recovered at all since he left his old home?

What was he afraid of? He just couldn’t think of an answer, as he curled back in the confines of his bed. His relationship with his friends was looking good so fa--… friends? He’s hardly ever thought of them, he realized, other than…

For a moment, Sunny reminisced. He looked among his things.... scattering…

There it was, still the way he remembers it. Basil’s photo album. It’s been so long since he looked it up, he didn’t understand why he just had the sudden urge to open it.

As his fingers passed by each page, memories flooded back… his friends… they were his friends… they… they still are, right?

“They’re not just photos. They’re real memories. Our memories! It’s proof of our friendship. Hold these pictures close… and remember what you want to protect.”. That faint memory… back then, he remembered. He promised Basil that he’d hold onto these memories. Yes, they _are_ his friends! No doubt about it.

* * *

Slowly but surely, the ‘day’ was nearing… Sunny’s school’s first period was almost over. As much as he’d have wanted to, he didn’t think he made any new friends through this short time yet.

It’s not that Sunny didn’t try… or maybe not nearly enough. He couldn’t be blamed though, he was always the quiet type. If Mari hadn’t introduced him to Hero and Kel, and then Aubrey and Basil… he might’ve never made any friends at all.

But now he was all on his own… no big sister to make new friends for him anymore. He was no longer the ‘little brother’, and this realization slowly began to sink in.

Deep inside, Sunny knew that all of his problems have always been solved for him thanks to his friends. And the only times he’s been able to do the right thing on his own were after an excruciating amount of trips and falls. He wished to change this more than anything, and he had to make the first step.

* * *

Morning came, Sunny was ready.

As agreed, his mom drove him all the way to the station, ensuring that he didn’t take the wrong train. A drive of adrenaline rushed through Sunny, for a lot of reasons. It was his first time taking a long trip on his own, for one. It was also among the first times he’s taken his own decision and stood firm by it. But above all, he was going to see them again… Kel, Hero, Aubrey… Basil…

He made sure to pack everything he needed too: Some spare clothes, a jacket, a towel, a toothbrush… but most importantly… Basil’s photo album, he wouldn’t forget about the request he made to him.

If the car ride out of town felt infinite back then, this train ride might as well become Sunny’s new whitespace. It was all too familiar too, being confined in a small room for as long as he remembers… the only difference with this ‘whitespace’ is that there are uninvited guests in it.

Normally, he would just daydream through the entire trip without worrying about time. However… his experience in Faraway has matured something in Sunny…

To him, headspace could very much be compared in the same light as a drug… a placebo to escape his problems, and the idea of going back felt like it would go against everything he struggled for.

But Sunny wasn’t good at following his own advice… he’s been daydreaming all this time without realizing. At home, at school, in his sleep... Is headspace to blame then if Sunny simply used it for the wrong reasons?

There was a lot to reflect on… luckily there was more than enough time for it. Such as… was it okay for him to lie to his mom about the incident? About his fight with Basil? Coming out to his friends was one thing… since he was moving out and would hardly ever see them after… But his mom would always be with him… it’s not the same, but yet… it still felt wrong to not tell her.

And... how would his friends receive him now that he’s back? He hasn’t sent a single letter to any of them besides Basil… will they think he forgot about them? It’s not surprising to assume that he was getting cold feet about this trip.

* * *

It was a surprisingly warm day in the afternoon, despite being the middle of December. The scent of the fresh air, mixed in with the surrounding flowers was almost nostalgic.

The gardener boy was ever so busy still. With the cold weather threatening his little green friends, they needed all the more attention.

There were no sounds surrounding him whatsoever, other than those of his watering can dripping down on the moist soil. A faint set of footsteps were nearing… he paid no heed to them, even when they became more and more audible. Until, a loud thud resonated behind him.

“Hi, Basil, I’m back home.”

“Sunny…”

No words were needed in that moment, for they had the same thought when they saw each other.

“Welcome home, Sunny.” Basil spoke softly, feeling the warmth of his best friend's body engulf his own.

A memory flashed through Sunny’s mind, he felt Basil’s hand holding his… there was blood… no… not that awful memory again…

Sunny gripped the back of the blonde, as if trying to reassure himself that this here is the real Basil… not that one…

Basil didn’t protest, figuring that he simply missed him that much. He waited until his grip loosened up before pulling away from the long-lasting hug.

“Did you pass by the others’ houses yet?” Basil inquired.

“No, not yet… besides, it’s not like I want to carry my bag with me everywhere, haha.”

“Oh, yeah… right, haha…” Basil let out a smile, before continuing. "You know… you sound a lot more talkative now, I’m glad… hehe.” Sunny couldn’t help but blush at this.

Basil took a moment to inspect Sunny’s eye. It looked… fine? The scar under his eyelid was very pronounced, but it wasn’t unappealing. Somehow, it gave him character.

He was so focused on his eye, that he didn’t realize he'd been staring at Sunny for a little too long.

“...Uhm… I guess you like my glasses that much?" spouted Sunny, almost immediately regretting making that comment. Basil’s cheeks reddened, averting his gaze away from the boy in front of him.

“...Er… I guess so… heh… c-come on, let’s take your things inside.”

Sunny helped himself into his friend’s house. The interior looked just like he remembered it, well decorated furniture, a sweet aroma permeating the place… It felt just… right.

Polly welcomed him with enthusiasm, offering to carry his bag for him. Sunny declined politely, as Basil showed him his room... The only other bedroom besides Basil’s that’s available, anyway.

Awkward, he knew who this room used to belong to... the wheelchair was nowhere to be seen either…

He had to snap out of it, he should be lucky he gets to have a whole room for himself while he’s here. He dropped his bag down on the floor, and shuffling around its contents, he picked up the most valuable item he brought with him.

“Is… is that..?” Basil looked in awe, he wasn’t wrong.

“You asked me to bring it with me the next time I come over, remember?” Sunny responded calmly. His sharp memory was the one trait of Sunny that Basil always admired him for.

Basil’s photo album looked as neatly compacted as it always was, carrying all of their most fond memories together in it.

“You have my photo, right?” Sunny asked.

“Of course! But we should put it together with everyone, it wouldn’t be fair to leave them out, haha.”

Sunny nodded in agreement, and the two boys headed towards their next destination.

“Wait! Let me get changed first!” Basil announced as he sprinted to his room. Sunny waited patiently outside. The blond boy eventually came out, he was wearing his typical green vest over a white collared shirt, and his polaroid camera was hanging around his neck, good thinking. With that, the two of them finally took their leave.

* * *

First would’ve been Aubrey, as her house was the closest to them. But she wasn’t at home unsurprisingly. Then was Kel, Sunny knocked on the door, and it didn’t take long for a response.

Hero opened instead, and was met with two familiar faces, face to face. “Hi, He-” Sunny couldn’t finish before Hero pulled him in for a hug, always with such a big heart.

Kel was in his room, playing on his console nonchalantly, but soon regretted not being the one who had opened the door for them.

Seeing his brother come back with both Sunny and Basil next to him, he couldn’t help but drop his controller in response.

“Hehe, I hope you aren’t getting bullied for those things.” said Kel cheekily, pointing at his own face, as if trying to emulate Sunny’s frames.

“Hey, come on now, they don’t look so bad!” Hero protested.

“Y-Yeah!” Basil affirmed, he sounded so much more assertive in letters...

With all four of them properly introduced, the only one left was Aubrey. Kel figured that she’s likely hanging out with the hooligans, either in the park, or at Gino’s. “Mom? We’re leaving, Sunny’s visiting!” Kel exclaimed, not bothering to stay in enough to hear from her back.

As they headed out, Sunny couldn’t help but face towards his old home. It seems that the “SOLD OUT” sign was already removed, and there’s a car parked on the front that he can’t recognize. He sighed, giving it one last glance before turning his view back onward.

Kel and Hero walked ahead, Sunny followed behind them, as Basil meekly remained to his side.

Even though it’s only been about five months, this sure took Sunny back. When he walked across Faraway in the company of his friends during his last days, a fond memory for sure.

Spotting Aubrey shouldn’t be too hard, her notorious pink dyed hair could be easily seen within a block distance. And they were right, a blob of pink, along with two other figures were sitting along the park, lucky finding.

It was Aubrey, Kim and Angel, sitting comfortably for a picnic. Aubrey looked at his old group of friends marching towards her. She couldn’t see Sunny at first, however, as Kel and Hero towered in front of him.

“Wait… is that… Sunny?” observed Kim.

“...What? Wait… it is?!” Aubrey responded in awe.

One by one, they shared glances with each other. Kim couldn’t hold out a scoff as she inspected Sunny from up close, Angel did the same.

“Heyy, Sunny right? Guess what? I’m in ninth grade now! Cool, huh?” bragged the youngster.

“Hey, me too.” Sunny replied.

“...What?” Angel reacted in bewilderment.

Kel let out an awkward chuckle, followed by Basil. Aubrey seemed to be short for words since they were introduced.

“...So, we were thinking… since Sunny’s here now, maybe we can celebrate together by going to Gino’s?” proposed Kel.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to have your reunion, heh… see ya, nerds!” spouted Kim, dragging Angel along. Aubrey felt like protesting, but she couldn’t find the words to do so.

“...Yeah, sounds good to me.” she finally reassured. With that, their journey to Gino’s resumed swiftly. It’s been a while, Sunny was a bit surprised to see the restaurant somewhat remodeled. The walls were re-decorated, and the wooden tables were replaced with metal ones.

“Looks nice, doesn’t it?” grinned Kel.

“...Yeah, it’s nice.” replied Sunny calmly.

Basil hadn’t said a word since they knocked on Kel’s house, it didn’t take long for Sunny to notice this either.

“I guess you never came here since I left, Basil? You never told me they re-decorated.”

“A-Ah…? No, I… haven’t.”

“Oh? You guys kept in touch with each other?” inquired Kel. Snap… Sunny’s qualm began spiraling, almost compared to what he felt when…

“...U-Uhm… y-yeah… we… we did…” Sunny admitted regretfully.

There was that quiet atmosphere again, before Hero made their order. Trying to break the ice, Aubrey was the first to attempt conversation as they all sat down on the table.

“So… I guess you finally finished your transformation to a full-blown nerd, eh?” she let out a faintly malicious smirk, obviously referring to his glasses.

“I told him that too! I mean… that I hope he doesn’t get bullied for them, haha.” joined Kel. This is clearly going to be the butt of their jokes for a long while…

Basil kept fidgeting next to Sunny… Eventually though, the blonde talked.

“...Uhm… may… may I be excused for a bit? I need to use the bathroom.” he stood up before waiting for anyone’s response.

“Basil’s like that.” Kel shrugged obliviously, “He must still have a stomach ache.”

The room filled with an eerie... sense of tension again. Just the faintest sound of someone's breathing was enough to overwhelm their hearing, let alone the clanking of someone's metallic dishes. Whatever was on everyone’s mind… was the question everyone was asking to themselves, but it seemed like waiting for Basil to come back to put an end to this quietness was rather folly.

“...Okay, I guess I’ll be the one to talk.” sighed Aubrey.

“So… it’s been about five months since you left Faraway… but we never heard about you. We... we were worried for a while... Until I noticed that... Basil’s been receiving letters from you. He never really told us either, but I couldn’t help but notice them one time on his dresser..." she continued.

Sunny kept his gaze locked to his empty plate, gathering his thoughts as he thought about a response. “...I don’t know… what to say… I just… I felt comfortable enough sending letters to one person only… and I felt… I haven’t had the chance to talk to Basil before until then… Ever since the last days before I moved… and even in the hospital... I’m sorry… I have no excuse…” Sunny quietly responded, barely holding his composure.

“Hey… it’s… it’s okay, I… I get it… sending so many letters must be pretty overwhelming, especially if you never had to do that before… We would’ve sent you some if we knew where you lived, you know?” Aubrey replied back.

“Yeah, Sunny… actually, maybe you should write down your address now, so we can do that from now on! That way, even if you don’t write to us on your own, we’ll let you know that we’re still here." proposed Kel.

“Wow Kel, you sound way smarter than you’re used to.” scoffed Aubrey.

“Hey, I may be stupid…”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...But?” she said.

“But what?”

“...Nothing, nevermind.”

Why are they so nice to Sunny? He couldn’t understand, they should hate him, he’s been nothing but a terrible friend. All this time, he’s been selfish, putting his emotions above others… he thought.

“...I’m sorry… I’ll… I’ll write to you guys more from now on… I promise.”

By the time he finished his apology, Basil had already come back from the bathroom. He didn’t say a word still, he just sat quietly beside Sunny. Their pizza was also timely making its way to their table too.

“So… Basil, I noticed you brought your camera with you. How about we take one with all of us reunited?” proposed Hero.

“Ah… you think so? I was hoping to capture the right moment instead of posing for it.”

“It’s fine, right? This is a moment to celebrate, we haven’t seen each other in so long. We should have this moment printed forever.” responded Hero.

“...Yeah, you’re right.” Basil was about to stand up, but Hero protested.

“Wait… you should be in the photo too.”

“...But… who’s gonna take it, then?”

“Heh… leave that to me.” said Hero, carrying a cheeky expression across his face.

Basil expected that Hero would be taking the photo. But instead, he stood up, grabbed Basil’s camera, and calmly walked towards the counter. He caressed his hair, and looked at the cashier intensely.

“Hey there… me and my friends are about to celebrate a long-time coming… would you do us the honor of taking a photo of us together? It won’t take long, promise.”. The cashier looked at Hero nervously.

“...W-Well… I guess if it doesn’t take long.”

Hero prompted the cashier to their table, and soon enough, they were all in position.

*Snap*

“Woo! New photo!” Kel exclaimed.

“Ah… I still haven’t taken any photos myself…” Basil said with a faint tone of regret.

“It’s okay Basil, I’m sure you’ll get your turn soon enough!” Hero encouraged.

“W-Why am I in the middle of it?!” Aubrey protested.

“Haha… Not everyone can take vivid photos as good as Basil, this is fine though.” Hero replied.

Hero thanked the cashier for his favor, as they all gazed at the new memory. Soon enough, it was time to take out the anticipated photo album… Basil laid it carefully on the table, making sure to clean up any pizza crumbs around, just so it wouldn’t stain his precious album.

“...W-Well… here it is…” Basil stuttered.

Basil carefully took out Sunny’s photo from his pocket, and let Sunny do the honors of placing them in.

“Ah… let me just give them a proper description, haha.” Basil remarked, taking out his handy pen, he began scribing some lines.

—Photo transcription—

> _(8/16) Sunny got new glasses! He may think they look silly, but I think they match his style pretty well!_
> 
> _(12/19) We went to Gino’s to celebrate having Sunny over for the winter! Everyone seems to be having a blast, Aubrey seems to be too focused on her pizza though._

Everyone stared at the brand new photos with a sense of… hope… a wish that things may finally go back to the way they were before, and that with these photos, they begin to turn the page to a new chapter in their lives.

It’s been an engaging evening, Sunny talked about his performance at school so far. Kel showed most enthusiasm, Hero and Aubrey were rather reserved with their questions. Basil didn’t ask much either, he was already caught up with it through letters after all.

Eventually though, it was time for everyone to part ways. Hero and Kel waved goodbye. As they walked all the way to the crossroad, where Sunny, Basil and Aubrey continued all the way south until the stop where Aubrey took her turn.

Then it was just Sunny and Basil, it was a long day, and so they wholeheartedly made their way back home. The moment Aubrey departed though, Sunny had noticed Basil’s faint, fidgety behavior come to a halt. Is he somehow… nervous when they’re all together? He couldn’t piece it together… he drifted to his thoughts as they walked towards Basil’s house.

“What are you thinking about Sunny? You seem distracted.” Basil asked.

“Oh… well… a lot of things, I guess… haha.” Sunny responded vaguely, pausing for a bit, before continuing. “...Today was fun, wasn’t it?”

“...Yeah…”.

“I guess… they really did forgive us.”

“... I hope so…”

There were so many things they wanted to talk about, yet somehow… despite their efforts, neither of them had it in them to make the first step. Maybe one day…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story so far has taken a pretty slow pacing, but things are heading towards the anticipated climax ;)  
> Well, one of the several climaxes anyway, the story is far from done. I can't tell how many chapters I have planned for this yet, but I can say for sure this isn't nearly 20% done yet.
> 
> I wanna give credits to CODE_1200 for the idea on Sunny's little nightmare sequence, originally from a comic they made. They have such an artistic touch that I felt honored to add it (with their permission of course).
> 
> But mostly, I want to thank Talon6142 for their throughout revision and proofreading of my drafts. He's been immensely helpful, and he doesn't take enough credit for his work. If you can, be sure to give his fics a read, especially "Worthless": https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726904. I know that the Omori hype has mellowed down by now, but it'd be a shame if such good fics would go unread because of it.
> 
> With that said, I'm gonna try to avoid drawing complex scenes from now on, I can't stand taking so long on them while the story overcooks in my head. Either way, I hope you're enjoying it so far, I always appreciate any criticism I can get!


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